Skiing is a popular sport enjoyed by many persons worldwide. It is estimated that there are 15.5 million alpine skiers and about 7.2 million nordic or "cross country" skiers in the United States alone. Skis are also used in other endeavors such as snowmobiling, water skiing and snowboarding.
In some instances, it may be desirable to change the running surface (and hence the frictional characteristics) of a particular ski. For example, in cross-country skiing, a skier may desire a different running surface with a different frictional characteristic depending upon whether the snow is icy or powdery or upon the particular terrain to be traversed (e.g. flat or inclined).
The art is replete with advances relating to skis such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,484 to Nakamura et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,992 to McCaskey Jr., et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,652 to McCaskey Jr., et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,268 to Sampson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,012 to Roth et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,909 to Danner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,577 to Lyng; U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,863 to Lawrence et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,746 to Heintz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,418 to Stauffer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,871 to You and U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,158 to Scherubl.
German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,402,791 to Hasse describes a cover film which may be detachably attached to the base surface of the ski by means of, for example, an adhesive. In some instances, when the running surface is removed, the adhesive is exposed to contamination from dust and dirt and may undesirably adhere to structures such as clothes and containers. Skis for use in water are particularly susceptible to contamination from sand, salt and floating debris. Other means are disclosed to attach one element of the ski to another element. However, it is believed that such means may be difficult to manually perform, particularly when the task is performed in cold conditions which may adversely affect a skier's manual dexterity.